Three prominent politicians to be out of office

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Neil Abercrombie, Colleen Hanabusa and Clayton Hee have a combined 84 years in public office. Now all three will be out of office in a matter of months.

"There is no doubt a loss is hard. You go through stages of grief," said Ed Case, former Congressman, who lost tough elections for Governor, Senate and the House. "You have to give yourself time to get over a loss especially the loss of a career or the loss of a dream. You can't snap your fingers and the next day everything is okay. It's not okay. It takes you months, even years."

Governor Abercrombie's website says this was his last campaign calling it the "culmination of a lifetime of public service." It went on to say after serving as Governor he and his wife would move back to their home in Manoa.

"If you lose an election the way Governor Abercrombie lost an election it's probably good to spend a couple of years away from politics. I think he may return to UH in some capacity since this is where he started his career," said Professor Colin Moore, Political Analyst.

Rumors have been circulating that Governor Abercrombie might be the next University of Hawaii Chancellor, however a source in the Governor's office said that is not true.

As for Clayton Hee he says there have been some feelers for life after the campaign although he hasn't made up his mind just yet.

Colleen Hanabusa is weighing options as well.

"It's a very public failure so I'm sure it's emotionally very difficult," said Prof. Moore.

In Case's case he is now the Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of the Outrigger Enterprises Group working in Waikiki, instead of Washington.

"There is life after politics. I am here to report there is life after politics. I would have rather have made the choice rather than involuntarily retired from politics but on balance it's worked out fine for me," said Case.

Professor Moore says there is sure to be a lot of second guessing, namely from people like Hanabusa or Hee, wondering if they should have run for governor instead. But looking back doesn't help see the future.